discovering a simpiler life

Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Spring is in the air

It's 5 days til the start of Spring and I can't wait. Already the mornings are crisp but the days are filling with some sunshine. I thought I'd keep it short and sweet and let the photos do the talking. Here's a look at what is happening here in my garden.

baby turnips keeping warm in the winter

a new navel orange tree which will grow espalier across this awful fence and narrow area

my pride and joy is my lemon tree

brassica's during winter above and today ready for spring below....need some weeding done!

another new addition to the garden, this lavender. On the recommendation from the lovely Jem this beauty will hopefully encourage bees with it's tempting purple flowers.

The girls were treated to some straw - it was a quagmire of mud but this definately did the trick

homegrown with love and curiousity

always giving kale

we grow kohlrahbi and swedes for their delicious leafy greens...I pick handfuls of all of our leafy plants - beetroots, rocket and spinach too, and gently simmer for a minute in water, drain well and toss through coconut oil, a smidge of chilli, a squeeze of lemon & S&P - who needs vitamin tablets!

garlic slowly on the rise

celery thriving

mint, spinach and walnut pesto has been heavenly on our roast lamb and slow braises

the heart warming sign that spring really is coming, my apricot tree

And finally a peak at the mural I'm having drawn on our courtyard/garage wall by a very dear friend who is a local artist....to be continued....

Before I go, I just wanted to share a wonderful book for any of you interested in reading a true story about a New York woman who falls in love with a farmer, and the memoir of their start up year. You should be able to get if from your local library - beautiful read - I found myself waking early dying to know what was happening. It's called "The dirty life by Kristin Kimball. It almost made me wish I was there with them.Ciao, Jan x

27 comments
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Your veggie garden is looking amazing...............I have finally bought some poles and netting to keep out the possums who would happily eat the new seedings overnight. I've heard of that book and it's on my "list" of things from the library...I'm pretty sure you ended up getting the A Story of Seven Summersby Hilary Burden out of the library before but I can't remember.....if you haven't it's along similar lines of a high flyers Aussie in NY (I think) and moved back to Tassie into a house which nuns used to live in..OMG it was wonderful...if you haven't read it you will enjoy it. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

Kathy thanks so much for the reminder of that book the seven summers, I'd been trying to think of it for ages!!!! I was asking my husband about the possums and he said heavy black cotton strung across your poles will annoy them, I was thinking of the solar lights you can get from bunnings that are motion sensorred could help or look up "zoo-do" it's apparently lion poop sold that you place around the garden....good luck though as it's so lovely to have and your kids, especially Sienna, are naturals :) Jan x

Your garden looks amazing! We are on Season 3 of River Cottage Australia and dreaming of getting a small holding when we return one day. He doesn't seem to get weeds though in his veg patch - funny that!!!!

I really enjoyed this season of RCA Nancy, he seemed forced and unnatural in Season 1 - nerves no doubt! I'm sure there are many on hand to help him but his garden and surroundings are just stunning aren't they.

I do love the sound of the pesto on your lamb. Your chickens look very content and they must have been very grateful for the straw. You certainly have a lot of green growing so yes, I can see you wouldn't need any vitamin supplements xx

Yes we too can feel the pulse of Spring beginning. I must rake out all the old straw from our girls and compost the lot. Stinky but beautiful! That pesto sounds lovely and I want a mural like that! So bright and lively and telling a story of enjoyable harvests. Cheers to the Spring coming.

Hi Caroline, thanks so much for visiting :) I just loved your feature too, living off the grid would be something I'd love to try, it sounds like you just love it. I'll pop over and check out your blog x

I'm SO delighted with your addition of lavender Jan! So awesome. And thanks for the mention. Your garden is looking terrific and very organised. Putting mine to shame at the moment and has been a bit neglected. There is nothing better than growing lemons though. My tree is still young and doesn't produce a huge amount.

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About Me

My name is Jan and I'm a foodie who also has a new found love of crochet. I'm sharing my passion for cooking food from the heart and our garden and trying to be as healthy and unprocessed as possible. I'm trying to live a simpler, slower more deliberate life which is both challenging and rewarding.
Thanks for reading!